The present invention relates to a resilient packing material or the like and to the method and apparatus for making the same. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method having a controller which can be used to monitor a number of different machines and to record and perform machine diagnostics.
Styrofoam pellets or peanuts are commonly used within the wholesale and retail industries as bulk packaging material. The peanuts are used to position a product away from the interior sides of a container and fill the empty space located therebetween. The peanuts are intended to protect the packaged product against the impact of a blow or other mistreatment.
Dispensing styrofoam peanuts does not require a great degree of sophistication. The peanuts are simply gravity fed from large retainer bins into the empty spaces within a packaging container. Use of styrofoam peanuts, however, has many drawbacks. For example, if styrofoam peanuts are used to protect a heavy object placed within a container, and such package is jostled or shaken, the object usually gravitates toward the bottom of the container and the peanuts float upward. Eventually the object comes to rest against the base or side of the container and damage to the object may occur. The light weight of the styrofoam peanuts also allows them to be easily blown by the wind and scattered. The styrofoam peanuts also create static electricity, causing the peanuts to cling to the protected articles after the articles are removed from their containers. Further, the peanuts may create an electrostatic discharge (ESD) which can cause damage to sensitive electronic components.
Of particular concern, styrofoam peanuts are extremely difficult to dispose of and destroy after use. In fact, because of the extensive use of this nonbiodegradable product, which emits toxic gases if burned, styrofoam peanuts present a major threat to the environment and are being banned from an increasing number of communities. Styrofoam peanuts are also dangerous to children and to wildlife who often mistake them as food and consequently ingest them. Styrofoam peanuts are not digestible and are a major source of tracheal blockage in children.
Other packaging filler materials, such as shredded paper, have also been used. Shredded paper, however, usually lays flat within the container and a large amount of paper is required to provide the bulk needed to fill the voids and to protect the contained object. To provide such a large amount of shredded paper is often cost prohibitive and, following its use, such voluminous amounts of paper must be disposed. In addition, the shock absorbency of flat, shredded paper is minimal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,259, which is hereby incorporated by reference, is directed toward an apparatus and method for rapidly producing large quantities of bulk packaging material comprising folded and crimped, interlocking strips of sheet material which may be used as resilient padding to cushion and prevent heavier objects from gravitating toward the bottom or sides of a container. The apparatus and method provides for the production of selectable lengths, the smaller lengths capable of being gravity fed into containers to fill voids and larger lengths capable of being wrapped around a product to provide a secure, protective cushion. The method and apparatus is also operable to produce such folded and crimped, interlocking strips of sheet material in selectable colors and/or controlled color combinations for decorative and aesthetic purposes. Furthermore the apparatus and method allows for the manufacture of such strips from biodegradable material, such as pulp material (i.e., paper, cardboard, or the like).
Due to the increased popularity of paper protective packaging material, additional, automated control mechanisms to operate and/or monitor such packaging material construction, would be desirable. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a single controller which could monitor a variety of machine types without substantial adjustments or modifications to the controller. It would also be desirable for a controller to collect and to store diagnostic information and to perform enhanced and automated packaging functions.
The present invention provides a packing product and method and apparatus for making the same having a monitoring system including a controller suitable for use in monitoring and providing diagnostics for one or more conversion machines with little or no change required of the controller. The controller associated with the one or more conversion machines communicates with various sensors and measuring devices to greatly increase the information available to a user or technician either local to or remote from the one or more conversion machines for recording machine and stock material usage and aiding in diagnostic evaluation and other functions.
The controller monitors one or more operating characteristics of the one or more conversion machines. Exemplary operating characteristics include inventory data relating to a roll of sheet material being used, data relating to a treatment of the sheet material, a color of the sheet material being used and a quantity of sheet material that has been converted. Additional, exemplary operating characteristics that may be monitored by the monitoring system include a performance quality of a shredding device, a status of the shredding device, a temperature of one or more portions of the conversion machine, a pressure exerted within a restricting region, a shear force exerted by a transverse cutting element and container data for dispensing of a converted product from the conversion machine into a container.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a cushioning conversion machine having a controller for monitoring the cushioning conversion machine is disclosed. The controller is suitable for use in a variety of different configurations of the cushioning conversion machine with little or no change required of the controller. The controller includes a number of output ports for controlling the function of the cushioning conversion machine regardless of the cutting assembly employed or the operation mode selected for the controller. The cushioning conversion machine preferably includes a controller which communicates with various sensors and measuring devices to greatly increase the information available to the controller for recording and aiding in diagnostic and other functions.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus and method for rapidly producing and monitoring large quantities of bulk packaging material comprising folded and crimped, interlocking strips of sheet material is disclosed. In this particular embodiment of the present invention, sheet material is cut into a plurality of longitudinal strips. The advancement of the strips is restricted to cause the strips to fold against themselves in a relatively controlled manner, thereby repetitively folding, crimping or creasing each strip. The monitoring system of the present invention is operable to monitor one or more of the operating characteristics of the apparatus and method and provide diagnostic information to a user either local to or remote from manufacturing site.
The monitoring system, via the controller, is operable to monitor each of the above discussed features of one or more conversion machines as well as other conversion machine operating characteristics. For example, the controller is operable to monitor the pressure exerted by the accumulated body of strips to ensure that the shredding device does not become jammed. In addition, the controller monitors the status of the shredding blades to ensure that the blades are properly aligned and maintained. Further, the controller may monitor the shearing force exerted by a shearing device used to cut the elongated strips into strip segments, (if employed). Further still, the controller is operable to monitor the amount of total paper and/or the various amounts of different colored paper used for inventory control and/or marketing purposes. Lastly, the controller is operable to monitor the timing of machine operation and the stability or vibrational modes of the conversion machine to ensure that any wear or failure mechanisms are pro-actively addressed before a machine failure occurs. The controller is operable to monitor one or more of the above conversion machine characteristics and provide visual and/or audible indications of such characteristics via a display.
The controller may be utilized local to one or more conversion machines by a user or alternatively they may be monitored remotely via a data communication port and a communication apparatus such as a modem. With remote monitoring, multiple conversion machines at various locations can be easily and efficiently monitored.
To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention comprises the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. Theses embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.